establish a daily spiritual practice

I’ve been doing four daily prayers for several months now. I have a little prayer I do at the Four Stations of the Sun: sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. Of course, I’m not always awake at sunrise or midnight, so I do those when I get up and before going to bed.

At each time of day, I face the direction that my tradition associates with that time of day, and I greet the direction, the element, and the sun as it passes from one part of the day to the next.

This practice is simple enough for me, because each prayer is brief and can be done on the run. The frequency of the practice has me connecting to my soul, the world, and my gods several times a day, which I like. If I miss one, it’s not too bad… I’ll make another prayer later. I find this practice to be a great structure for my day. It helps me remember who I am and what I am doing.

I’m calling this goal done, but picking up a new, related goal: strengthening my practice. I’ve recently added a separate prayer/meditation time to my morning, and that’s the piece I’d like to strengthen. But that’s a topic for another post. :-)

It’s the choices I make in every moment.

The smile I give to a stranger, rather than averting my eyes.

The kiss I exchange with my husband, rather than a sharp word or a frown.

The compassion I offer my friends in my interactions with them.

The compassion I offer my enemies in my interactions with them.

It’s choosing to take back the change from the cashier when he’s given me too much.

It’s standing up for the poor and downtrodden, who have no voice for themselves.

It’s remaining true to my word, no matter how much it hurts.

It’s living the dharma (or beatitudes, or Tao, or tenets) moment by moment, each thought, word, and action bringing me to a closer embrace with that part of me that still understands “God.”

For me anyway, that’s a “daily spiritual practice.” :)